The Miracle

Artist: Queen
Label: EMI
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Format: Import
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1
EAN: 4988006796751
ASIN: B00005O5U8

Release Date: 2001-10-24

The Miracle

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Tracks:

Party
Khashoggi's Ship
Miracle
I Want It All
Invisible Man
Breakthru
Rain Must Fall
Scandal
My Baby Does Me
Was It All Worth It
Hang on in There
Chinese Torture
Invisible Man [12" Version][Version]
Scandal [12" Mix]

Album Description

Japanese exclusive 2001 remaster of 1989 album. 13 tracks including the extra's 'Hang On In There', 'Chinese Torture' & 'The Invisible Man (12 inch version).

Album Details

24 bit digitally remastered 'Abbey Road Technology Series'

Customer Reviews:

Queen's final eighties album is another excellent release.......2006-04-06

The Miracle (1989.) The thirteenth Queen studio album.

INTRODUCTION:
In the seventies, Queen's rock and roll stylings reigned supreme. They were one of the finest bands in the land. Unfortunately, the eighties weren't as kind to the band. By this time the band had begun experimenting with new sounds, and despite every album the band recorded being excellent, some fans of the band's older, classic rock material from the seventies were turned off by this experimentation and refused to even give it a chance. Nonetheless though, the band managed to maintain a strong fanbase. 1989 saw the release of the band's thirteenth studio effort, The Miracle. Read on for my review of album thirteen from the rock legends!

OVERVIEW:
Queen released The Miracle on May 30, 1989, although much of it had been recorded as early as three years prior to the release. Parlophone released the UK version, while Hollywood released the US version. The band, as usual, featured Freddie Mercury, John Deacon, Brian May, and Roger Taylor. Album was produced by the band with David Richards. Tracklist for the record consists of Party, Khashoggi's Ship, The Miracle, I Want It All, The Invisible Man, Breakthru, Rain Must Fall, Scandal, My Baby Does Me, and Was It All Worth It.

REVIEW:
It's such a shame people overlook and unfairly bash the eighties material that Queen recorded. It's actually quite excellent, and this album is a prime example of why. The members of the band still had what it takes to create excellent music, and from start to finish on this record, they proved that point beautifully. With a strong assortment of rockers and pop tunes alike, The Miracle is just that - a miracle of an album. Once again Queen succeeded beautifully musically. Keep reading for a track-by-track analysis of the record.

-SIDE A-

-Party (Deacon/May/Mercury):
What better way to start a Queen album than with an upbeat tune that combines elements of hard rock and pop rock? To put it simply, this is an awesome opening song, and it does an excellent job introducing the album. Good stuff.

-Khashoggi's Ship (Deacon/May/Mercury/Taylor):
Hard rock with an eighties touch. This song was penned by all four members of the band, and it definitely combines their talents in the best possible fashion. Pretty much everything you like about Queen from the eighties era, this song has it.

-The Miracle (Mercury):
Freddie Mercury was known for his ability to create unique-sounding compositions, and this is a prime example. With upbeat piano-playing, guitar playing, and an all-around catchy sound, it's definitely one of Mercury's finest pieces.

-I Want It All (May):
The big hit from the album. Brian May was best known for his ability to create hard rockers, and as such, these tracks were always some of the band's finest. What results from May's efforts here is an anthem-styled hard rocker that stands as one of the band's all time best. We Will Rock You, over a decade prior to this, showed just how well May could do the rock anthems. Here he reinforces that point.

-The Invisible Man (Taylor):
One of the most bizarre Queen tunes of all time, and yet one of their most appealing. This is a very upbeat and poppy eighties-style tune, which uses plenty of eighties-style instrumentation in its execution, including synthesizers. Despite its weirdness, this is an awesome song.

-SIDE B-

-Breakthru (Mercury/Taylor):
Back to the upbeat rockers. In this day and age, Queen seemed to have a good time making rocking tunes that were upbeat and poppy, yet hard and heavy at the same time. This song is one of the best examples of this phenomenon. A very solid piece all the way through.

-Rain Must Fall (Deacon/Mercury):
Of all of the members of Queen, it was John Deacon that was best known for his ability to create the optimistic, happy pop-rockers. Here he teams up with Freddie Mercury and creates a song in his signature style, along with eighties-style instrumentation backing him up. Another great tune.

-Scandal (May):
Arguably my favorite song on the album. Brian May is a songwriting genius, in addition to being one of the greatest guitarists of all time. Here he writes a song about the way the tabloids dealt with a relationship he was having with an actress at the time. What results is a song that combines his classic hard rock stylings with the eighties instrumentation the band was so heavily using in this era. Damn good song.

-My Baby Does Me (Deacon/Mercury):
Another John Deacon/Freddie Mercury compilation. As with many Deacon compositions, the piece is very bass-intensive. It's a tough song to describe, since it's such a far cry from what you're used to hearing from Queen. This here is one of those songs you have to hear to fully appreciate.

-Was It All Worth It (Mercury):
The closing song on the album is one of the band's finest. The subject matter at hand and the tragic passing of Freddie Mercury just two short years later make this one of the saddest songs the band ever recorded - it's almost as if Mercury knew he didn't have much time left. As such, it is one of the band's most powerful and all-around best pieces. It makes for an excellent album closer.

OVERALL:
Once again the band managed to create a solid record that would stand the test of time. So what if the band's fanbase wasn't a big as it was in the seventies? They were still making excellent music. It's only a shame the band's days together would be cut tragically short just two years after the release of this record. What's disappointing is that, despite the excellent music quality this record features, it is one of their least popular albums! Take my advice - if you're a Queen fan, buy this one. It's well worth adding to your collection.

EDITION NOTES:
Hollywood Records remastered and reissued the Queen catalogue in America a few years back. The Hollywood reissues feature bonus tracks and expanded/restored art and liner notes. Although the bonus tracks are mostly throwaways, there is an occasional gem to be found. Since these are the most readily available versions of the albums on compact disc, I recommend getting them.

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